The Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood and the League of Arab States launch the “Children’s Media Award 2026”

‎Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, “Mother of the Emirates”, President of the General Women’s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood announced the launch of the “Children’s Media Award for the Year 2026”, in cooperation with the Family and Childhood Department of the Social Affairs Sector of the League of Arab States, and with the support of the Emirates Media Council in implementation of the recommendation issued by the “29th” session of the Arab Childhood Committee, which was held on September 18. 2025.

‎The award aims to encourage media institutions and individuals to produce qualitative, renewable, Arabic content that serves children’s issues, and to contribute to building a responsible media environment that supports children’s rights and upholds human and social values, and to highlight the influential role of the media in shaping generational awareness and formulating a positive image of children’s issues, in addition to highlighting the pioneering efforts of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, in supporting and empowering childhood at the Arab and international levels.

‎The award seeks to fill a clear gap in Arab awards, especially since there is no award in the Arab world specialized in child-oriented media that carries a comprehensive institutional dimension under the umbrella of the League of Arab States, as most of the current awards focus on general literary or cultural production without clearly addressing the role of the media in shaping the awareness of Arab children.

‎The importance of the award in this context is that it represents a qualitative step that bridges this gap by providing an organized competitive framework that gives a unified regional dimension that enhances the value of media work directed at children.

‎The award contributes to strengthening Arab identity and common values, and is characterized by clear specificity through its focus on works presented in the Arabic language, ensuring that the Arab identity remains at the heart of the creative and media process, and that the common values ​​​​among Arab societies are the basic reference, which allows it to play an effective role in consolidating the status of the Arabic language, and at the same time strengthening the common cultural and social identity of the Arab nation through media directed to children.

‎Through its various categories, the award promotes media directed to children, as an important and necessary long-term investment in the future by building conscious and responsible generations, as media content directed to children contributes to instilling values, developing creative abilities, and protecting generations against manifestations of violence, extremism, and the negative effects of unregulated content.

‎The award stems from international conventions and conventions on children’s rights, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and adds to it an Arab dimension that reflects the cultural and social specificity of the region. It not only adheres to international standards, but also establishes a comprehensive Arab framework that makes media directed to children a tool for protecting rights, and at the same time a means of embodying authentic Arab values, which gives it a special status at the regional and international levels.

‎The works submitted for the award, in its various categories, will be evaluated by a specialized committee selected in cooperation with the Media and Communication Sector and the Family and Childhood Department of the Social Affairs Sector at the League of Arab States, in order to ensure transparency and impartiality, and to adopt the highest professional and technical standards in the arbitration process.

‎Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, Chairman of the National Media Office and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Media Council, said: ‎The launch of the Children’s Media Award represents an Arab station ‎A pioneer that reflects a deep awareness of the importance of investing in future generations, as media directed to children has become a necessity that keeps pace with the rapid transformations in the media industry, and ensures that our children receive responsible content that upholds human values ​​and preserves Arab identity.

‎ He expressed his pride that the UAE is supporting this unique Arab initiative, under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, “Mother of the Emirates,” who, with her initiatives and achievements, formed an umbrella of protection and care for childhood at the Arab and international levels. This award comes as an extension of the UAE’s role in adopting projects that improve the reality of children and build an institutional media vision that protects their rights and enhances their awareness.

‎ He said: “The UAE will remain a major supporter of every Arab initiative that contributes to protecting children, enhancing their awareness, and consolidating their values. We are proud of the constructive partnership with the League of Arab States to launch this award in a common Arab spirit, and with one goal: building a capable, aware, and fortified Arab generation that moves confidently toward the future.”

‎For her part, Al-Reem Bint Abdullah Al-Falasi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, said that the launch of this award by the UAE in partnership with the League of Arab States, under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, “Mother of the Emirates,” gives it a broad Arab dimension and a civilized message, and confirms the UAE’s commitment to supporting childhood as a humanitarian and development priority.

‎She pointed out the rapid transformations that the Arab region has witnessed in recent years in the media landscape due to the digital revolution and the increasing reliance on new platforms as a major source of information and entertainment, which has placed the Arab child, in the midst of these transformations, facing major challenges related to the quality of content, the extent of his commitment to human and ethical values, and the protection of his rights in an open and cross-border media environment.

‎She added that one of the most important goals of the award is to encourage Arabic content intended for children, which contributes to enhancing their ambitions and aspirations towards a future enhanced by better education and a more developed economy to achieve happiness, and supports instilling positive values ​​in the souls of children, developing their skills and abilities, and helping them acquire new skills, on the one hand, and protecting them from various negative phenomena such as bullying, pressure, tension, and abuse, on the other hand.

‎She explained that despite the multiplicity of media and cultural awards in the Arab world, most of them focus on adults and decision-makers, while child-oriented media remains limited in terms of incentives and appreciation, which calls for the launch of the Children’s Media Award as a leading Arab platform that highlights the role of the media in building generational awareness, and provides an institutional framework that honors and stimulates distinguished experiences.

‎She addressed, with the highest expressions of appreciation and gratitude, Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, for her patronage of the award, and for her directives and successive initiatives in order to provide the optimal environment for the Arab child and spare him any negative influences that may affect his physical and psychological well-being, and in a way that guarantees him a sound upbringing and the best standards of decent living, which contributes to raising good generations capable of contributing effectively to serving their countries and completing their journey towards the desired future.

‎She expressed her thanks to the League of Arab States for its cooperation in preparing the award, and for its distinguished contributions that enabled the award to be produced in the best way that achieves the goals for which it was launched.

‎At the conclusion of the 55th session of the Council of Arab Information Ministers, which was held at the headquarters of the League of Arab States, the Arab Information Ministers agreed to adopt the initiative of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, “Mother of the Emirates,” to give the Arab Children’s Media Award a broad Arab dimension, with its social, educational, and developmental connotations, and with the potential to produce creative content that serves children’s issues.